The Possession
by sunrow
Summary: On Halloween night, when Stark's party is over and everyone is sleeping off their booze (and candy) fueled fun, Bucky finds himself in a haunted house. And inside that haunted house is a very real entity, waiting to claim the empty void in Bucky's mind.


**Important note:** This story features a character briefly speaking in a foreign language. Translations will be added to the end of the fic.

Enjoy!

* * *

Steve fiddled with the cape of Bucky's Batman costume, the only thing he'd agreed to wear for Halloween. Bucky hadn't wanted to dress up, but Steve insisted, telling him people would be less likely to approach him while wearing it. Those not in costumes were constantly asked _why_ , while someone dressed as Batman could sit in a corner and brood. Everyone would just think he was in character.

Bucky frowned at Steve. "Do I have to go? You know I hate Halloween."

"This is the first Halloween you've ever hated. Last year doesn't count." Steve instantly realized how harsh his words were to Bucky, and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. What happened was fucked up, completely, and if you want to hate Halloween, then you have every right. Let's just go to this stupid party, and let Tony know this will be the last one we attend. How does that sound?"

"It sounds perfect," Bucky smiled back, and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "Thanks, Steve."

"Don't you mean, 'thanks Superman'?" Steve smirked down at Bucky, pressed a kiss to his lips, then jumped out of the embrace to twirl his red cape around.

Steve raced out of their room like a child, Bucky following close behind, a grin tugging at his lips. He knew what Steve was doing, but it was working. Bucky still didn't want to go to the stupid party, but he was feeling less anxious about it.

They headed to the tower's function room, where the party was already in full swing. Natasha came wandering over with a couple of beers, her face made up to look like some sort of creepy doll. Bucky liked it, but there was still a nervous twist in his gut.

"Here you boys go," Nat said, handing them the beers. She turned to Bucky and grinned. "Nice costume. I assume you'll be finding a dark corner to sulk in?"

"You're goddamn right," Bucky winked, only half-joking, though inside the anxiety was starting to creep up on him again.

After what happened last year, how could he ever feel comfortable during Halloween ever again?

It was then that a giant, grey, _thing_ came over to them, and Bucky had a hard time comprehending what he was looking at. He thought it might be a rabbit, judging by the ears, but the face was that of a monster. Human-like teeth protruding from a sinister smile, leathery, wrinkled flesh, and blank grey eyes stared at Bucky. He couldn't turn away from the dreadful creature. It was like something that had crawled out from one of his childhood nightmares.

The rabbit-monster reached up and pulled its head off, revealing a very concerned Clint.

"You okay, man?" He asked, and it was then Bucky realised his breathing was erratic.

He got it back under control and smiled tightly at Clint, nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I just need to sit down for a minute."

Without a word, Steve threw an arm around Bucky's shoulder and took him over to one of the round tables that were pushed to the side of the giant room, allowing the guests to mingle and dance in the middle. Steve sat Bucky down then knelt in front of him, taking his head into his hands.

"Hey, you're okay, Buck." Steve kissed Bucky's forehead, then both his cheeks. "You remember that movie Clint made us watch, Donnie Darko? It was really weird and neither of us understood a thing."

Bucky thought about it for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, I remember." Bucky tried to smile reassuringly at Steve, but his lips just twitched a little instead.

"Well, then try to remember the rabbit from the movie," Steve continued, rubbing his thumbs in little circles on Bucky's jaw. "His name was Frank, and Clint's dressed up as him."

As Bucky remembered more of the movie, he felt like a fool. Clint _loved_ that movie, and it wasn't one easily forgotten. But that was Bucky's mind these days. He tended to forget trivial things, like movies he'd watched or songs he'd heard. Just a side-effect of being wiped by Hydra too many times. But he'd take a shitty memory over mind-control anyday.

"I'm such an idiot," Bucky said, chuckling to himself. He grinned up at Steve, hoping he could convey through that one smile that everything was fine. "But, uh, there's a chance it might happen again. I think I might stay here a while, just in case, but you should go have fun."

Steve smiled brightly. "Nope, I'm staying right here." He sat himself in the chair beside Bucky and scooted it closer to him, leaning his head on Bucky's shoulder.

"Really, I'm fine to stay here. You should go have fun, Stevie." Bucky flicked at Steve's head, just as he noticed Tony heading over to them, wearing only a tuxedo. "Uh-oh, I think Tony's gonna get up you for not mingling like the good Avenger lapdog you are."

"Jerk," Steve mock-glared at Bucky, before standing to greet Tony, who completely ignored him.

"You!" Tony pointed an accusing finger at Bucky. "Are you trying to steal my thunder, Barnes?"

Bucky glanced between Tony and Steve, wondering what the hell was going on. "Come again?"

"The audacity! To dress as Batman when I put all this time and effort into my Bruce Wayne costume." Tony waved his hands around as he spoke, then pouted once done.

"You're only wearing a tux, how was I supposed to know who you were dressed as?" Bucky was growing more confused. Had Tony told the team he was going as Bruce Wayne, and Steve made him dress as Batman for a joke? But Steve wasn't laughing, and instead appeared to be exasperated by Tony's complaints.

Tony rolled his eyes at Bucky. "It's not just the tux. I also shaved my goatee for this look, but it's not like you would appreciate that." He turned to Steve and raised an eyebrow at the cheap Superman costume. "Okay, you're going to mingle, and I'm going to pretend you didn't buy that flimsy piece of spandex from the dollar store."

Steve groaned, and swooped in to kiss Bucky before he was dragged off by Tony for unofficial Avenger duty. Bucky knew being left alone with his thoughts wasn't the best idea, so he tried to keep them on the present moment. He people-watched from the safe distance that he was, analysing costumes, most of which were comical and not disturbing like Nat's and Clint's were.

Alcohol was flowing freely, and Bucky only just remembered the beer Natasha had given him. He took a swig and continued watching the crowd. Tony had hired waitstaff dressed in what appeared to be skimpy versions of the Iron Man suit, complete with glowing blue arc reactors on their chests, to go around with bowls of Halloween candy for people to take. Mini-skirts for the women, booty-shorts for the men, and not a single piece of spandex in sight.

He scoffed, took another swig of his beer, and kept trying to stay distracted. And then a man arrived wearing a dirty old clown costume, complete with a mask that had three deformed faces. Bucky didn't have a fear of clowns, nor did he understand why so many people did, even after Clint made him and Steve watch IT. But with his current state of mind, Bucky was slowly becoming panicked. Like when he saw Clint's costume, Bucky couldn't look away from this clown.

 _It's just a costume; it's not real_. _It's just a costume; it's not real_. _It's just a costume; it's not real_. _It's just a costume; it's not real_. _It's just a costume; it's not real_.

Bucky couldn't find it in himself look away from the clown, and his vision started to blur around the edges. The sounds of music and chatter turned to white noise in his head and the colors glared too bright in his eyes and still Bucky could not look away.

 _It's just a costume it's not real_. _It's a costume it's not real_. _It's a costume not real_ _It's costume not real it's not real not real not-_

A hand fell on Bucky's shoulder, and if it wasn't for his years of training, he would've jumped right out of his skin. Instead he simply broke his gaze away from that damned clown and glanced up to see Sam looking down at him with one eyebrow raised.

"You alright there?" Sam sat down in the seat Steve had been in earlier. He was dressed as an angel, complete with an all-white suit, gaudy white wings, and a fluffy halo resting lopsidedly on his head. "Why are you sitting over here all alone, huh? Too cool to party with the rest of us?"

Bucky shrugged, taking another swig of his beer. "I'm just not a big fan of Halloween." He gave Sam a small smile, glad for his company, but still feeling a little shaken by how a single event was affecting him.

"How the hell do you not like Halloween?" Sam was grinning, knowingly trying to cheer Bucky up some more. "You got costumes, booze, candy!" There were bowls of candy on every table, and to emphasize his point, Sam reached in and grabbed a handful before promptly putting it back. "Candy corn, disgusting. You'd think Stark would have some taste!"

"I think you're putting too much faith in him," Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. "But no, I really don't like Halloween. We wear costumes all the time, as Avengers, and as a super soldier I can't get drunk. Candy I can get all year round."

Sam rolled his eyes and pointed to where Steve was, talking animatedly to Maria and Natasha. "Look at Steve. He dresses up as Cap for a living, can't get drunk, and can eat candy whenever he damn well pleases… Yet he's still having fun. So why can't you?"

"You really don't know?" Bucky was a little surprised, and studied Sam for a moment. "They didn't tell you."

"Didn't tell me what?"

"I can remember it vividly, as much as I'd like to forget it. Of all the things my shitty memory had to latch on to… Last Halloween, something not normal happened." Bucky chugged down the last of his beer, knowing the alcohol wouldn't help calm his nerves, but finding comfort in the action anyway.

Sam could tell this wasn't a subject Bucky liked to even think about, so he reached over to grab Bucky's shoulder, grounding him. "I can handle not normal."

"But will you believe me?" Bucky eyed Sam earnestly, wanting to know he could trust him.

Sam wasn't sure why he wouldn't believe him, but he simply nodded. "Of course I will."

"Thanks." Bucky stared down at his hands in his lap, twisting them together as he thought of where to start. "Well, uh, nobody but Nat seemed to know Steve and I were together, and instead they all thought we were in love and didn't even know it. So Tony planned this haunted house experience that was supposed scare us into realizing our feelings for each other, except it didn't really go to plan."

"What happened?" Sam wasn't sure how something Tony had set up could possibly make Bucky hate Halloween. Not only that, but fill him with so much fear as well. It shocked Sam to see the same assassin that once almost killed him be full of nervous energy.

"What happened was something straight out of a horror film," Bucky stated casually, looking directly in Sam's eyes as he did, daring him to dispute it. "The place was stupid at first, like something for kids. But it was different upstairs, creepy, but we liked it, at least for a moment. It started off small; a floorboard creaking and a caress over the back of my neck. It got worse when we went into this old bedroom. We heard a knock come from some wardrobe, and when we looked inside for a speaker, thinking it was one of Tony's tricks, a mirror smashed behind us. We couldn't see anyone in the room with us, but we could _feel_ them."

Bucky shuddered and paused, looking pale and sickly. Sam felt bad for letting Bucky tell him.

"We can stop, you know." Sam offered. "You don't have to continue if it's hurting you."

"I have to. I have to tell you so you'll understand." Bucky shook his head sadly. "This thing spoke to us. Well, kind of. We asked it some questions, but it kept saying no. I thought it was Tony and threatened him, but that just angered whatever it was. It threw Steve against the wall, then grabbed my leg and dragged me out of the room. I tried to hold on to the door frame with my arm, but it was too strong." Bucky paused and grabbed Sam's hand, holding it just tight enough to be painful. "Sam, you've gotta understand, we couldn't _see_ anything. It threw Steve and dragged me and we couldn't damn see it!"

Sam was speechless, and now he understand why Bucky thought he might not believe him. "How did you get away from it?"

"It let me go, right before Steve came to find me. And I was relieved, until I saw it. Actually saw it." Bucky took a deep breath, composing himself. "I've never told anyone this. But the thing… It didn't really have a face or anything, it was just like a large humanoid shadow with unnaturally long arms and legs… It came scuttling along the _wall_ til it was almost next to Steve. I'll be forever thankful that Steve ran when I told him to, and that he took me with him."

"That's really fucked up, man. I'm starting to understand why you hate Halloween." Sam wasn't one for horror movies, and couldn't imagine actually experiencing what Bucky and Steve went through.

Bucky's shoulder sagged in relief. "So you believe me?"

"Of course I do." Sam didn't know why Bucky would lie about this, especially as he could simply ask Steve whether or not it happened. Not that he would. He knew Bucky spoke the truth. "Maybe a few years ago I wouldn't, but aliens have invaded New York and one of the Avengers is a literal god from another world. I'd be a fool not to believe in things that defy logic and science."

"Thanks, Sam." Bucky smiled, and though it was small, it was full of feeling. "That really means a lot to me."

Steve came over then, handing another beer to Bucky, and one to Sam. "Okay, I'm done. That's enough mingling for me. What are you two talking about?" He slumped into the chair on the other side of Bucky and threw an arm around his shoulders, cuddling up close.

"Just letting Sam know why I hate Halloween." Bucky shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, though Steve saw right through him.

As did Sam. "That sounded like some real intense shit."

"It was," Steve agreed. He rubbed soothing circles into Bucky's shoulder and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Tony had intended to buy the foreclosure just for the night, and then let some house flippers have their fun with it. But after what happened, he decide to keep the house as his property. He said he didn't want anyone stumbling upon whatever the hell that thing was. Even put up a giant metal fence around the property to keep trespassers out."

"That's actually quite admirable of him," Sam mused. He knew Tony was a compassionate person, but it was sometimes hard to remember that when he put on his asshole billionaire facade.

"I thought he was gonna invite one of those ghost hunting, paranormal shows in to film an episode or something." Bucky laughed humorlessly. "Not like he needed any more money. But he didn't, which, yeah, was quite admirable. I felt bad for thinking so little of him."

Sam did chuckle at that. "I don't blame you."

"Bruce did go back and try to see if he could figure out what the thing was, with science," Steve said, grabbing a handle of candy corn and popping it in his mouth. Sam pulled a face at him. "But the thing had apparently disappeared without a trace."

"Creepy."

"Very."

Sam and Steve quickly changed the subject to a more light-hearted topic - namely, the budding romance between Sam and Maria. Bucky leaned into Steve, finding comfort in the familiar contours of his body. It had taken a while to get used to, truth be told, after having been the larger of the two for so many years. But even when he was filled with a nostalgic yearning for Steve's smaller frame, Bucky still wouldn't give up Steve's current body for the world.

Eventually the party guests, drunk and stuffed full of candy, started to slowly make their ways home. Sam and Steve, ever polite and dutiful, left Bucky at the table so they could say their goodbyes. Once alone again, and with no unnerving costumes to claim his attention, Bucky realised that he hadn't eaten at all that night, and only consumed a few beers instead. He looked at the candy corn on the table, almost completely untouched save for the small amount Steve ate, but it didn't look appetizing at all.

In fact, Bucky couldn't think of a single thing he'd like to eat. Even the thought of food made his stomach turn. But his body was buzzing with restless energy and he needed to do something about it. Usually Bucky was the more social one out of he and Steve, but tonight he'd been so withdrawn that it almost felt _wrong_. He fidgeted in his chair, spinning one of the beer bottle caps between his fingers and tapping his feet.

Once all of the guests were finally gone, Steve came strolling back over to him. "I'm beat. You ready to head back to our room? I feel like I could sleep for another seventy years."

Bucky cracked a smile, but shook his head. "Nah, you go on ahead. I think I'm gonna go for a walk. Turns out sitting down all night just isn't my thing."

"And yet you're a sniper." Steve smirked at his boyfriend, sneaking his hands around Bucky's waist and pulling him closer.

"Yeah, but I'm in the zone when on missions." Bucky pointed out, wrapping his arms around Steve's neck. "I was definitely not in the zone tonight."

Steve's smile fell into a concerned frown. "I could tell. Are you alright to go on a walk alone, or do you want me to come with you? I don't mind."

"I'll be fine." Bucky pressed a kiss to Steve's lips. "Just a short walk." Another kiss. "An hour at most."

They kissed again, deeper, and Bucky felt Steve's arms tighten around his waist. For a moment he thought about other ways he could release all his pent-up energy, but he didn't want to take away any of Steve's sleep. God knew they both needed some.

And besides, Bucky felt like he needed to get out of the tower, even for just a little while.

"Okay, okay," Steve said as they finally parted. "One hour. Do you have your phone on you?"

"Uh-huh." Bucky smirked at Steve. "Who are you, my mom?"

"Winifred was a great mom, so I'm gonna take that as a compliment." Steve took Bucky's hand, intertwining their fingers, and together they strolled over to the elevator bay. "You know why I'm worried, okay. But I trust you know what you're doing, so have fun. Though there's definitely funner ways to burn some energy."

With a wink, Steve stepped into the elevator and disappeared as the doors closed. Bucky got in his own elevator, heading down to the lobby, but it wasn't until he was on the street outside the tower that he wondered why he didn't just go with Steve. He'd been thinking the same idea, and yet when Steve offered it, he didn't even think to take it.

Even while thinking about this, Bucky walked away from the tower and into the Manhattan streets. It was after midnight in the early hours of the morning, so there weren't too many others out and about. A handful of drunken men and women stumbled out of bars and clubs, some dressed in cheap costumes and some not. There was a man in a black coat and top hat, skin ghostly white with black makeup painted on his lips and around his eyes, that leered at Bucky as he passed.

It should've been nothing more than annoying, but Bucky still felt a chill go down his spine. He started to think that it perhaps wasn't such a good idea to go for a walk on a night where people were dressed up as horror characters, but again his feet kept him moving away from the tower.

Bucky didn't even try to fight it.

It must have rained sometime during the night, because the ground was glistening wet, reflecting the lights of the city. Bucky only had the flimsy Batman costume to protect him from the chilly fall air, but it's not like he cared. He was used to the cold. Hell, his title had been the _Winter_ Soldier. As if proving it to himself, Bucky took off his Batman mask and dropped it on the sidewalk, not pausing to consider what he was actually doing.

The city passed Bucky by in a daze. He longer focused on the outside world, only truly aware of his feet against the sidewalk and his steady breath going in and out, in and out, in and out. There were alarm bells ringing in the back of his mind, trying to make him snap out of whatever trance he was in and actually think about what was happening. To stop and go home.

Eventually, those too went away and Bucky's mind was blissfully empty. He kept walking.

The passage of time became meaningless and Bucky left the heart of the city, coming upon a large metal fence. At first glance it seemed normal enough, just metal bars topped with ornamental spikes, until it became apparent that there was no gate in the fence to allow passage through. But no gate meant no locks, and the aim of the fence was to stop anybody from getting to the other side.

Bucky wasn't just anybody. Bucky was an enhanced human with a metal arm, so with that arm he grabbed one of the bars and, with a piercing metallic screech, pulled it straight out of the framework. The fence was made to keep the general public out, not super-soldiers. Bucky pulled another bar out, then another. When he finally made a big enough hole to get through, he did.

An old, decrepit mansion stood before Bucky, and the part of his mind that had been silent before now screamed at him to turn around.

 _No no no no no no no no no no no no no no_

He walked forward, down the overgrown lawn towards the house that had been haunting his life for a year.

 _No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no_

The front door opened once Bucky was near it, and he continued on inside. The door slammed closed behind him, banging loud enough to snap Bucky out of his trance. The alarm bells and warnings in his mind became all he could think about, and Bucky knew he had to get out of that place before it was too late.

Turning around, he raced back to the door and tried the knob, only for it to fall off in his hand. Cursing, Bucky stepped back and kicked at it, hoping to break it down. He kicked and kicked, then punched with his metal arm. The same arm that had ripped metal bars out of a fence just minutes earlier was now useless against the rotting wood of the door.

In an instant, the atmosphere of the hallway changed and goosebumps rose on Bucky's flesh.

"Batiltu _._ " The voice seemed to come from everywhere and yet nowhere, all around him and in his own head. It was the echo of a whisper and it filled Bucky's entire existence with terror.

He didn't even understand the language, but he obeyed the command anyway, and waited.

"Alka _._ "

In the shadows of the hallway was one spot that appeared blacker than black. It shifted slightly, then moved towards where Bucky remembered there was a staircase. Any thought of resistance left him and he moved towards the stairs, following behind the thing. Once upstairs, it disappeared, and Bucky was left alone, his fear of the place creeping back.

"Gitmalu _,_ " the voice said again. Bucky felt like he was being watched from every direction. "Sen sag peta _._ "

"How?" Bucky questioned it. He felt a chill go down his spine, as if in warning, but he needed answers. "Why me?"

"Sunu resussun _._ "

Hydra. All those years of wiping his memories, choosing what he could and could not know or remember… it had left him open to this. Whatever this was. Bucky was weary now, feeling the fight drain out of him. He couldn't leave, but he could ask questions.

"What are you?" He thought he already knew the answer, but he needed it confirmed.

"Idimmu _._ "

Just as he thought, though the confirmation did not make him feel any better. "What do you want?"

"Adaru _._ "

"How will you get it?"

"Ina sen _._ "

"What will happen after?"

"Eli baltuti ima'idu mituti _._ "

A presence filled the hall, consuming Bucky with dread right down to the very core of his being. He tried to back away, but a tapping sound behind him stopped him in his tracks. The creature he'd seen last year was back, scuttling along the ceiling with its too long limbs. Bucky stumbled away from it, his legs feeling numb. From fear? He didn't know, he just willed them to work properly.

Bucky made it down the hallway, but when he turned the corner, there was another creature waiting for him. It looked like the idea of a woman, made by a god who'd only heard whispers of how a woman should look. She was on the ground, limbs tangled and contorted in unnatural angles. Her head snapped up when she heard Bucky approach, eyes black and a gaping void of a mouth.

The woman tilted her head slowly to the side, assessing Bucky, neck cracking with the movement. She started untangling her limbs, ever so slowly, joints cracking, clicking, popping. Bucky stared in horror as she fully straightened, her gaping mouth swinging freely.

She took a step towards Bucky, her body twisting oddly with the movement. Another step, another twist. Bucky knew he should turn and run, but he felt frozen to the spot. How was any of this real? And why him? He knew what the voice had said, even if there was no way he could have understood the language. He didn't even recognise it, which in itself was odd because Hydra had taught him to at least recognise a language whether or not he could understand it.

Still frozen, Bucky watched as the woman stared down at her feet, then back up at him. With an unholy screech she ran at him, faster than humanly possible. Bucky dropped down and curled into a ball, not knowing what else to do. He ducked his head under his arms, shaking and sobbing. Waiting.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

The attack from the woman never came.

Bucky tentatively raised his head, coming face to face with the woman. She was back on the ground, skinny arms holding her body up, inches from Bucky's face. Laboured breaths escaped her cavernous mouth, black eyes staring into his soul.

"Leave me alone," Bucky choked out. He rubbed at the tears and snot that ran down his face, wishing that he wasn't alone with this thing. Wishing Steve were there. Steve, who was brave to a fault and wouldn't let these creatures have the satisfaction of scaring him into submission.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the woman any more, but that was just as terrifying in its own way. Sometimes seeing the thing you fear makes you feel like you have better control over it. But Bucky knew he had no control over this situation. That much was evident.

A tremble went through the house, small enough to ignore. Then there was another, harder. More came until they were no longer trembles but violent shakes, as if there was an earthquake. The windows rattled and things could be heard falling and shattering in the other rooms. A howling wind ran through the halls, whipping at Bucky's hair and costume. He stayed where he was, curled up, and screamed.

"I said, leave me alone!" He cried out, wanting it all to end. He didn't care how, be it death or freedom, he just wanted it to stop. "Stop it! Please. Just leave me alone. Stop. Stop. Stop."

And just like that, the shaking stopped. Everything settled down, no more wind or noises or anything at all.

Was it all a trick? Bucky looked up to find the hallway empty, void of any monsters or entities. He was wary, and got up slowly, waiting for an attack, or a jumpscare like in movies. There was nothing of the sort.

Bucky decided to take advantage of the turn of events, and ran for his life. He ran down the stairs, down the hall, and burst through the front door. He ran down the yard and through the hole in the fence. He ran down the streets until he was back in the heart of the city, and didn't stop running until he was back at the tower.

"Good evening, Sergeant Barnes," Jarvis greeted once he'd gotten into the elevator. "How was your walk?"

"Uh, eventful," Bucky offered, trying to keep his breathing under control. "Went for a run towards the end."

"How delightful."

When the elevator arrived at his and Steve's room, Bucky sagged with relief. He was fine, he was home. He staggered to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed, wriggling under the covers. Steve wasn't here, but Bucky could see the bathroom light on and the shower running. He knew he should clean himself up, but didn't really have the energy. Hell, he didn't even have the energy to get out of his Batman costume. With a sigh, Bucky closed his eyes and let himself be taken over by sleep.

The sheets were torn from Bucky's body and his eyes flew open, looking for the culprit. There was nothing there. The bathroom light was off and the shower had stopped, yet Steve was nowhere to be found. Was he playing a prank on Bucky? Even though he knew how wound tight Bucky had been all night.

"Steve?" Bucky didn't know whether to expect an answer, but he was still shocked when there was none. "Steve, cut it out. This shit isn't funny."

Bedsprings groaned and Bucky looked down in horror at the end of the bed, where the mattress was being pushed down by an invisible force next to his foot. Another depression appeared beside his other foot, creaking down the springs. Before he could react, a force fell on Bucky's body, holding him down. More depressions appeared on the bed, moving down the length of his body and stopping beside his head.

Bucky blinked, and suddenly he was back in the haunted house he thought he'd just escaped. He was lying on the hard, dusty floor of a bedroom that seemed far too familiar. On further inspection, Bucky's fears were confirmed. It was the same bedroom and that he and Steve had first encountered the entity last year.

In an instant, his body was thrown like a ragdoll against the wall. Bucky braced himself for the fall that never came, his body held against the wall by an unseen force. A piercing ring filled the room, invading Bucky's head, making his ears bleed. He fought to get down from the wall, but the force held him there. He tried to cover his ears, but his arms were stuck by his sides, and he was forced to endure the pain of the shrill ringing.

His head slammed back against the wall and his eyes rolled back inside his head. Groans escaped Bucky's throat, his body convulsing. There was more than the ringing now intruding his body. He could feel the entity creeping inside of him, through every pore, invading every cell.

It lasted a few seconds, yet it felt like eternity, and it when it was over, Bucky fell to the floor and didn't get up. The Avengers found him like that, using the tracking device in his cell phone to locate him. Steve cuddled Bucky close to his chest, and Tony vowed he'd have the building demolished.

All of them had the eerie feeling that everything wasn't over yet. That it was all just getting started.

* * *

The demon was speaking in Sumerian, the world's oldest written language. I found the translation online, but I had to get creative with some phrases.

 **Translations:**

 _Batiltu_ \- stop

 _Alka_ \- come

 _Gitmalu_ \- perfect

 _Sen sag peta_ \- your head is open for me

 _Sunu resussun_ \- they helped

 _Idimmu_ \- demon

 _Adaru_ \- fear

 _Ina sen_ \- through you

 _Eli baltuti ima'idu mituti_ \- the dead will be more numerous than the living

I hope you enjoyed this fic! Let me know what you think ^.^


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